Jason Miller and Jason Jackson take up weekly residency

Reverb

Anna Rose, a New York City artist who 'doesn't mind getting her fingers bloody,' plays three area shows this week, including Oct. 19 at Zodiac.

Through the years, Colorado Springs has hosted a variety of singer-songwriter residencies that offer us the opportunity to watch the creative process evolve in real time. The latest comes courtesy of local singer-songwriters Jason Miller and Jason Jackson, who recently launched a new residency at the Axe and the Oak Whiskey House. The series began on Oct. 13, and you can catch free acoustic sessions from the pair every Thursday night through the fall and winter.

Miller and Jackson both performed at a Songwriter Circle at Ivywild School earlier this year, but the association of the two artists goes back to the early 2000s, when they performed as The Genuwines with bassist Melissa Joy.

"Jason is a tremendous harmony singer and taught me a lot," says Miller. "Our voices went well together, and we just really enjoyed sharing songs we had written."

Both musicians have developed reputations as fine performers with their own individual careers in the years since, but the pair is looking forward to collaborating again, continuing the time-honored tradition of honing new material with the consistency of a weekly gig. Eventually, they plan on bringing in special guests to participate as well, but Miller notes that the main objective of the project is to keep their eyes on the songs at all times.

"We really envision this night to be for folks that might enjoy singer-songwriters and some fine whiskey, all homegrown right here in beautiful Colorado Springs," sums up Miller.

Meanwhile, the latter half of October has no shortage of live music opportunities, courtesy of acts both national and local.

A cappella vocal group Straight No Chaser performs at the Pikes Peak Center on Wednesday, Oct. 19. The group was originally formed in the mid-'90s at Indiana University, but one of their videos going viral nearly a decade later led to a record deal and collaborations with the likes of Sara Bareilles, Elton John and Stevie Wonder.

You can also head to the Broadmoor World Arena on Oct. 19 and party like it's 1999 when nü-metal standouts Korn take the stage on their Nocturnal Underground Tour with their genre peers Breaking Benjamin, Motionless in White and Silver Snakes.

Meanwhile, lovers of pop-punk will enjoy a Black Sheep stop by Jimmy Eat World on Oct. 19, joined by London-based rockers The Hunna.

The Zodiac hosts the dark, bluesy sounds of New York's Anna Rose on Oct. 19. You can also catch her at Pueblo's Brues Ale House the following night, Oct. 20, as well as Oct. 21 at Denver's Lion's Lair.

For fans of heavier stuff, the Flux Capacitor has its own full night of music on Oct. 19, featuring Georgian noise-rockers Whores, and Denver acts Musclebeach, Abrams and Pueblo Escobar.

Miami-based hip-hop crew iMayday! who have worked with the likes of Lil Wayne, CeeLo Green and Tech N9ne, bring their Space Cadet Tour to the Black Sheep on Oct. 20, joined by south Florida hip-hop/rock act Web Three and Pueblo's own Ray Writer.

The hip-hop takes a heavier and darker turn at the Flux Capacitor on Oct. 20 with Los Angeles noise-rap act Moodie Black, joined by Oklahoma City hardcore band Sledge and locals Casket Path and Night of the Living Shred.

Long-running Canadian punk band Propagandhi plays the Black Sheep on Friday, Oct. 21, along with Wyoming's Teenage Bottlerocket and Fort Collins' Elway. That same night, country-western ensemble TheFlying W Wranglers will be taking the stage at the Gold Room.

Folk singer Richard Shindell, whose songs have been recorded by Joan Baez, makes a rare United States tour stop, appearing as part of the Friends House Concerts on Oct. 21. (See interview on p. 78.)

Finally, for those who can plan more than a week ahead, the weekend of Oct. 28-30 brings us Friends of Colorado Springs Jazz's fourth annual Colorado Springs Jazz Party at the Antlers Hotel. The diverse cadre of performers includes cornetist Ed Polcer, tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, bassist Nicki Parrott, trombonist Bill Allred, pianist Ehud Asherie, trombonist Dan Barrett, and many more.